News from the Caucus

OLYMPIA — Legislation sponsored by Sen. Ron Muzzall to crack down on reckless driving and make Washington roads safer continues to advance through the legislative process, and was highlighted in the governor’s State of the State address. Senate Bill 5890 would expand negligent driving in the first degree to include cases where a driver is...

The 2026 legislative session is well underway, and work is moving quickly in Olympia. As key decisions begin to take shape, I want to keep you informed about what’s happening at the Capitol, what I’m working on, and how the priorities of the 8th Legislative District are guiding my work. The 8th District is home...

In this legislative update video, Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, explains why fast-tracking the Fairfax Bridge replacement is critical for communities in the 31st Legislative District and access to Mount Rainier. Fortunato outlines his push to move the project to a design-build process — a step that could shave a year or more off construction time...

OLYMPIA—Sen. Nikki Torres has advanced Senate Bill 6066 to give local governments and the Washington State Department of Transportation a new tool to address roadways with a high number of serious and fatal crashes by establishing temporary “crash prevention zones” focused on safety improvements. “This is not a bill I wanted to introduce, but my...

OLYMPIA — Legislation sponsored by Sen. Phil Fortunato to fast-track the emergency replacement of the Fairfax Bridge will receive a public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 27. Senate Bill 5987 is in response to the closure of the Fairfax Bridge on State Route 165, which cut off access to parts of...

Session ends with long debate on $77.9 billion operating budget   After long and heated debate, the majority passed the 2025-27 operating budget without a single Senate Republican vote. The document, which was released Saturday for a Sunday vote, is more than 1,300 pages long and spends nearly $80 billion over the next four years....

CORRECTION: The original version of this Newsflash incorrectly quoted the proposed mileage tax at 26 cents per mile. The correct tax rate per mile is 2.6 cents per mile. The article below has been corrected to reflect the 2.6 cent rate.   IN THE NEWS: Emergency powers reform During the pandemic, former Gov. Jay Inslee...

Senate Republican Leader John Braun and House Republican Leader Drew Stokesbary released a joint statement today following the certification of Initiative 2117 (Concerning carbon tax credit trading) by the Secretary of State on Tuesday. “Governor Inslee and Democrats misled the public about the costs of the carbon tax on working families, farmers and small businesses. Now...

OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, today responded to public comments recently made by Gov. Jay Inslee that attempt to divert attention from evidence in a Washington Policy Center blog showing the governor knew it was false to claim his “cap-and-trade” tax on carbon-dioxide emissions would not increase gas prices, or would do so only...

WSDOT actions latest example of executive mismanagement, lack of accountability OLYMPIA…Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, offered the following comments in reaction to a KING-TV story about a lawsuit that reportedly will be filed soon on behalf of a former employee of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The employee, an economist and formerly...

By Sen. Chris Gildon and Sen. Drew MacEwen   Our state’s Climate Commitment Act was passed in 2021 with the stated goal of reducing and eventually phasing out carbon emissions. Among other things, the law promises protections for Washington’s agricultural sector and marine trade, and we were assured revenue resulting from the “cap-and-trade” approach would...

Sen. Curtis King, Republican leader on the Senate Transportation Committee, said the state’s latest carbon-pricing auction will cause gasoline prices to continue rising, further hurting Washington drivers and businesses. This will also raise the prices for all things being shipped, which is about every item consumers use, further adding to high inflation. “Since the carbon...